Supernova

A stealthily told story of later-life love between a middle-aged couple, this follows laconic English pianist Sam (Colin Firth) and his partner Tusker (Stanley Tucci), a more gregarious expat-American author. As they drive through stunning Lakeland scenery on their way to stay with old friends, bickering warmly over a satnav that "sounds like f***ing Margaret Thatcher", you'd be forgiven for asking: what's wrong with this Sunday supplement lifestyle article? Well, in the sure hands of actor-turned-director Harry Macqueen, the pair's social intimacy betrays an open secret that threatens to tear them apart. Tusker is an astronomy hobbyist who hints at his condition when explaining to a niece, "When a star gets really old, it runs out of fuel, and it explodes, like a firework." Sam's reluctance to rekindle his skill at the piano for a recital is also freighted, emotionally, and Keaton Henson's mournfully bowed score emphasises the melancholy. The story lacks an element of surprise but the getting there is a road worth taking, and Firth and Tucci are on top form.